Clearly Defined Goals

I've gottem. Goals that is. I think the biggest problem is the amount of distraction. Always there to try to deter you from reaching those goals. And there have been many. From the trivial to the tragic, I have been shaken a little, but I never really stop working at them. If I ever stop then that is the ultimate defeat for me. I mean, you never really fail if you never stop trying.

There has been much to be worried about. Still no movement on my brother. Just hoping I don't get bad news anytime soon. Right now, no news is good news.

That plus a few other minor trivial and somewhat worrying things have distracted me from really pushing this Kickstarter cause.



I would traditionally do more updates, blogs and vlogs, but so many other things going on, I've just been too distracted and too busy.

But if all else fails I'll just start up another campaign next month. We do have 8 days left, so ya never know.

The good news I have just enough funding to get started shooting soon. We've been doing a few rehearsals here and there. I've been working on re-writes, building and painting props, establishing locations, etc.

I must admit, I was lost there for a second. Mainly due to all the personal stuff going on. But I can't let worries slow me down. Worrying never helped anything. Being prepared for the worst and hoping for the best is always the way to go. But sitting around worrying about what may or may not happen. It doesn't work.

Whether something happens or not, it shouldn't alter your work towards your clearly defined goals.

If I die tomorrow, well that would suck, but worrying about it today won't do anything for it. Maybe I'll prepare, I'll put on my bullet proof vest, look both ways before I cross the street, and take plenty of vitamin C, but sitting and worrying is nowhere near preparing, and is definitely nowhere near productive.

What if I worry and worry and worry and then nothing happens. What if I don't die and I end up living a long and healthy life. I'll have been too busy worrying and I'll be nowhere near my clearly defined goals.

So take those worries, give them their due respect, and then set them to the side while you move forward. Because this life is not worth living if you don't move forward.

So those are the orders I'm giving myself. The drill instructor shouting in my soul is screaming orders at me:

"Continue marching soldier. I don't care if the world looks like it's ending. I don't care if you've got people on the sidelines screaming that you can't do it, or you need to take cover because there's danger ahead. You trust your own eyes and tell me what you see. Do you see doomsday? Do you see danger ahead? Do you see utter catastrophe? No you don't. All you see is what you've always seen, even when others couldn't. Especially when others couldn't. You see the light. Your light. Your goals. Now you keep marching forward soldier. You march forward and you get them goals. They're yours, so you go gettem. DOUBLE TIME!"

And so I march on.

"In the absence of clearly-defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia until ultimately we become enslaved by it."
- Robert Heinlein

Are you the victim?

“As you think, so shall you become.”
- Bruce Lee

In the movie that is your life. Are you the victim? Are you the supporting actor in the background? Are you even starring in your own life?

Or are you the bad ass motherfucker that runs the show?

I watched a screener copy of an indie horror flick called Evil Things, directed by Dominic Perez.

You can read my full review here.

I liked it alot. It was scary. And it really made me think what I would do in alot of the situations the characters found themselves in. What would you do if you were being stalked by a madman? Would you stand by and let him terrorize you? Or would you take a good long look at your life, and realize how precious and wonderful it is, and worth fighting for. Maybe then instead of screaming bloody murder, you would have the fortitude to stand your ground and fight back with force and clarity.

Of course I'm not really thinking about a literal madman. As always I'm thinking about moviemaking, the stumbling blocks along the way, and my madman that continues to stalk me. Myself. I am my own terrorizer, my own stumbling block, the only one that prevents me from reaching the next level.

And what is this next level? There are two things I am concerned with right now. To make my cinematic masterpiece feature film, CREEP. And to make MONSTER COPS into what it is meant to be, a full fledged online series, DVD compilation, and known brand reaching the audience it was meant to.

Creep I'm confident I can raise the money for. I'm still working on the site to do some crowdfunding and we've already begun rehearsals as I do re-writes. I'm going to make that movie this year, period.

Monster Cops, I've decided to hit it hard. I also need funding for it. Serious funding, to really be able to turn it into what I know it can be. Produce several more episodes, have national screenings in several venues, and have a DVD and merchandise ready to sell before October of this year. The stories and vision I have for Monster Cops needs to be told, and it deserves to be marketed properly to the audience that wants and needs to see it. I know I've said it before, but I need restate what Monster Cops is. It's comedy and horror for sure. But more so, it's episodic cinematic story telling hidden inside a goofy comic horror web series. The one episode I've produced and the few minisodes I've put up, barely display the full depth, empathy, pathos, and thrill I wish to convey with Monster Cops.

I've got the one episode up, one more on the way, and I need the resources and funding to produce 5 more episodes making it a total of 7 complete 20 minute episodes. Many of them will be available online to watch, but all will be available for purchase on DVD, and many of them will be screened in different venues through the nation. With the right marketing I know I could turn it into something really special. That combined with the solid story telling and hidden inspiration behind all the monsters, action, and comedy, I think this could really be the series and brand that I envisioned so many years ago.

I'm tired of settling for this so called reality. I'm ready to create with all my heart and produce the right livelihood I deserve. I've been holding back and I just don't have the strength to hold back anymore. It's time for me to let loose and hit this as hard as I can, and really bring out the creativity and effort to bring the visions in my heart to life.

Because in the movie of my life, I am not the victim. I am the badass motherfuckin hero in this bitch, and I have the force and clarity to pursue my passions and achieve my goals.

So in your own life, in your own movie, are you the victim?

“As long as I can remember I feel I have had this great creative and spiritual force within me that is greater than faith, greater than ambition, greater than confidence, greater than determination, greater than vision. It is all these combined. My brain becomes magnetized with this dominating force which I hold in my hand.”
- Bruce Lee

Round 3: A little at a time

That's how it's going to have to be. Just a little at a time. If you wanted something badly, and you found out that you could have it, but it would take a very long time taking many long tedious steps to get to it, would you go for it? Or would you give up because it looked too hard?

If your answer was the latter, then you either don't deserve, don't really need or want it, or both. Me? With this particular goal I'm aiming for, I'm going for it. And it will take several excruciatingly long and tedious steps to get it. But it's still mine for the taking.

Anyone who has ever had to edit a video, or compose an effect that involves key frames, knows exactly what this is like. And the bigger picture of trying to create a worth while feature film, is exactly the same, especially when you're DIY on a 0$ budget. Sure we'll raise some money, but that's just to make sure those tedious steps are little less and a little shorter. But the steps are there to take nonetheless.

This is just yet another personal reminder to myself of just exactly how much work needs to be done in order to get this thing right where it needs to be. It's going to be hard, but it has to be, otherwise you're not doing it correctly. I was reminded of all this reading this little snippet from Rob Brezny.

From the window of my office I look down on a blackberry bush whose berries are now ripening. In the last 20 minutes, I've watched a sparrow figure out the best way to feast. At first the bird tried to land on the flimsy branches of the bush, but after a few tries it realized they couldn't hold its weight. Its revised strategy was to grab a single berry in mid-swoop and alight on the branch of a nearby apple tree so it could relax with its meal. It did this 10 times.

Are you willing to collect your reward a little at a time?

Yes I am and I will.

In the meantime here is a sample of what we've accomplished so far with the new equipment. This is pretty much the opposite of what I've just written.



Yeah, how's that for productive?

Lessons In CREEP

First off I'd like to say how very flattered and still greatly overwhelmed I am by the response I'm still getting from my Indy Mogul Audition. Over a thousand comments on YouTube and the majority of them very positive. I've also gotten alot of messages from people with their support for me being the new host of BFX. Thank you all for that. It means alot. It's huge boost to my confidence in my own abilities.

My wife asked me if I was nervous about this whole Indy Mogul business. Honestly, I'm not. I think I've gotten pretty good at not expecting much anytime I submit to any kind of contest, or job interview for that matter. I'd love to be the new host, but in the end, they will pick who ever they're going to pick and I'll be fine with it. It's not the only thing I've got going on right now anyhow. Although I'd love to be the new host of BFX and I know I could do a great job, the only thing I can do is be proactive in my own goals. If it happens it happens. If not, hey, I'm still alive and I'm still on a mission.

That mission in question is.... Ok, well if by mission I actually mean project in which case I should say mission(s) as their are a few projects. The main thing on my mind right now is CREEP. I do need to work on REDD, but I had to push the Werewolf Costume fitting to next week, so right now I'm all about CREEP. Yes of course I need to work on Monster Cops so I can make that May deadline, but right now my head is on this feature film, specifically crowd-funding, more specifically producer rewards.

What are these words you use Patrick? Crowd-funding? Producer Rewards? Lemme splain.

I need to raise 12 grand to make CREEP. In order to do so I'm going to use every method in the book. I'm saving up much of my own money. I will be working extra hard and extra hours to earn the extra cash I need. I'm going to sell almost everything I have, including all my DVD's, my entire poster and banner collection, I'm even considering selling my car. I'm also going to make a big sign that says "TRYING TO MAKE A MOVIE, PLEASE HELP" and wear it around town while holding out a coffee can. No seriously. But one of the main ways I will raise this money is through a little something called CROWD FUNDING.

It's exactly what it sounds like. Instead of the usual approaching of a few investors to contribute large amounts of money, I will approach a large amount of people (everyone I know, and do not know) and get them to contribute small amounts of money. This method is called Crowd Funding and is being used by several different filmmakers to make their movies. I feel that this is possible if you can do the following:

1) Be clear about what you need the money for. Transparency is key. I will post the budget, how much we need, and what we need to spend it on.
2) Keep the budget low. Alot of moviemakers have been successful in raising 50,000 to hundreds of thousands of dollars. I only need $12,000.
3) Properly communicate the vision. Really let people know what it is you're trying to make. I'll post the plot, script pages, art work, vlogs, we will even shoot some scenes to communicate what kind of movie this is.
4) Create an experience. Get people excited about this movie. Get them to WANT to help you make this movie happen. Don't just sell the movie, sell the experience of making a movie, and the experience of the movie itself.
5) Producer Rewards.

AHA! There it is. There's that other phrase. What indeed IS Producer Rewards?

That's what I'm working out right now. If I'm going to ask you for $20 I want to be able to give you something for it. A copy of the movie on DVD? Of course. How about a Special Thanks credit in the movie? Why not? Producer Rewards is providing unique incentives to people that contribute money to your movie. Anybody will be able to buy this DVD or download it digitally when we distribute it. But if you contribute to the Crowd Fund, you'll get something no ordinary customer will get. Perhaps it's an autographed poster along with your DVD.

Right now I'm working out a list of different incentives matched with specific dollar amounts. The higher the contribution, the bigger the incentives. And I've been busting my ass on it for a few days now. I'm running out of unique incentives. Right now if you gave me 12 grand I think I would straight up just be your personal man whore.

I'm in the middle of working on the script for CREEP, and I'm so very excited about this. It's just one outrageous scene after another and really CANNOT WAIT for you to see this.

Already we're hitting some stumbling blocks. The make up artist I wanted to use has moved away (but is considering coming back for the shoot, so Yay!) My lead actress maybe moving as well. This might all work out if I can raise the shooting budget before summer. If not I'll be holding a casting call. Cest la vie.

I hope to have a script done in the next few weeks, along with the budget, the crowd funding plan, and full list of producer rewards.

Try to fail. Don't fail to try.

It's one of those days. I woke up with a sinus headache that just would not go away. The day started off crappy and I just felt like giving up and going back to bed.

But I can't. I've got too much to do. I could just do nothing today, but there's so much more that needs to be fought for, and the battle has barely begun. So you buck up, say screw it, and dive in anyways.

It's easy to look passed my headache when I see what's going on in Haiti. I'm blessed to have the life I have and the opportunities I've been given. My house is still sturdy, my loved ones are safe, and I only have a headache from stopping me from working on my dreams to day. When you really look at it, your problems end up being better than a whole lot of other people's.

I read somewhere once "If we all threw our problems into a big pile and saw everyone else's, we'd take ours back instantly." Don't remember where I saw that.

Problems are a part of life. It's what makes life interesting, keeps your brain functioning, and our bodies moving. And one of the biggest problems I think people in general have is that alot of their problems aren't really problems. Just excuses.

Me? I have no excuses. I don't really have problems either, when I compare it to real world perspectives. I'm doing fine and I'm working towards being great.

So we continue to try. And alot of the times we fail. But failure is good too. Failure is also a part of life. It makes achievement mean more, keeps you awake, and teaches you to do better. One of the biggest failures I think people in general have, is the failure to recognize that failure is actually opportunity.

And I'm thankful for all my failures and opportunities. As long as I keep trying I'll never truly fail.

Oh, whaddya know, my headache is gone. I'm going to finish my green tea, go work out, and run some errands. I'm going to continue to be thankful that I have the opportunities to try and fail and try again.

And then at some point I'm going to eat some chicken.

Monster Cops. End Of Summer VLOG

Archangel, Reupload

I decided to add one small bit to the Archangel teaser. Just wanted to add a small explosion to give it a bigger feel. Once again, all done on Vegas.

Teaser trailer for a movie that doesn't exist. Fake trailer for a movie about a hit man battling other assassins. Just an excuse to try out some filters, visual fx, and editing techniques.

Shot on Panasonic GS320
Edited on Sony Vegas
Rendered to 24p in HD format

Features Chris Plouffe as the main hit man. Also features Brandon White, Richard Gaither, Sarah Vroom.

Music is "Grounds For Divorce" performed by ELBOW and the BBC ORCHESTRA

Thanks Harry

Looks like I may be doing quite a bit of traveling next year. Texas in January then to Washington on the 20th. Atlantic City most likely in March, and then back to Texas in April. If I'm lucky I can add Park City, Utah in January. But since I've missed Park City every year for the past 6 years, why break the streak? If I'm really unlucky I'll be in L.A. before summer for a few weeks. I really don't like L.A. No offense to my L.A. peeps, but you know it just ain't my scene. Great place to visit. As long as it's a short visit. I'll stick around for your sake Beks, but only for production reasons.

I'm not as adventurous when it comes to traveling. Not like I use to be. I think it's mainly because I'm focused on the project at hand, and right now that doesn't really require alot of traveling. I am determined to make as many out of town screenings as possible. Nothing like watching an audience full of strangers watch your work. Something I haven't done since 2001.

I'm on Twitter now. I find it beneficial to rattle off random updates in short form, especially when I'm working on scripts. Right not I'm working on 3 MC episodes, 1 short, and next years Feature Film. Don't even ask me about it cuz it's going to change, it always does. Thankfully I'm not as sick as I was, and I can concentrate more steadily. But in my short bursts of stoppage, I do sound off on Twitter now, or I post here, or on my super secret (but not really) LJ.

I'm also trying to keep up with learning about New Media, how the new PR techniques apply to New Media, and examining different business models. This whole entertainment landscape is changing everyday, especially with regards to the internet as it applies to the DIY Moviemaker. Tell you what, wanna keep up with it yourself, then keep an eye on Scott Kirsner's blog CINEMA TECH as well as Lance Weiler's THE WORKBOOK PROJECT. Both sites that will definitely help you stay ahead of the game, or at least keep up with it.

But no matter what new media I observe, no matter what new marketing, tech, model, idea, strategy, etc. The old adage still applies. If you put on a good enough show, people will surely pay the price of admission. Marketing becomes easier when you've got a good product. It's an easy sell when it's something they wanna see.

So back to writing I go.

Tromadance

Monster Cops: Shadow Company will be screening at Summer Tromadance. This is all part of Tromadance, Indy Film Coop, and the B-Movie Celebration.

Check it out at Juke Box Live in Franklin, Indiana. Saturday, September 27th, at 7:35pm.

Weapons Training

Here are pics and freezes from the MKX 300 Weapons Training scene.

First a few action figure poses.

Agent Windows.

Agent Weir.

The Vampire Keels.

The Vampire Keels again.

The MKX weapon prop, nights before. I had just purchased some led tap lights and had glued them on using welder glue (amazing glue). The gun itself is a mix of Simply Orange bottles, gray cable, bolts and washers, great stuff, red and white led lights, and an old video camera, all spray painted with black and silver.

The fully finished weapons prop. Although I realize now that it was missing a few lights that day.

Getting ready to shoot the MKX 300 scene. Aaron Plouffe is our test zombie.

Weapons Training Graphic.

Nigel.

Nigel introducing the MKX Weapon.

Windows about to demonstrate the weapon on a test zombie.

The test zombie.

After the zombie has been killed.

The Vampire Keels.

The Vampire Fangs.

Holding the vampire back

The vampire in restraints as Windows explains how to kill a vampire.

The MKX 300 lcd screen.

The Vampire Keels hit with an MK 9mm Silver and Garlic Bullet

The Vampire Keels hitting the bloody wall.

Always follow up your bullet hit. Weir with the wooden stake. Windows with the sunlight emitter.

Monster Research Pics

Yesterday was working on Monsters day. I had started building the frame work for a particular creature, and went out and bought materials for another. The episode itself features mainly Zombies, Vampires, and a Werewolf, but these other creatures I'm trying to include will be featured in the intro and as inserts throughout the show. I'm trying to convey that Shadow Company deals with monsters of all kinds, therefore really establishing the size and variety of this particular universe.

I also spent sometime at Barnes and Noble today. I found myself thumbing through magazines, Fangoria, Gorezone, Horror Hound, as well as others. What started as perusing became me taking pictures with my cam phone everytime I saw an image that intrigued me. A few of these were images from ads for merchandise of T-shirts. I do recognize one image from a retro horror flick from back in the day called RETRIBUTION (creeped me out as a kid).

Mainly these are images that somewhat express the style and structure of some of the creatures the Monster Cops go up against.

Obstacles

I think the hardest thing about making a movie is holding on to that fire. It's not that the passion ever goes away. It's just that so many other things take place in life that make it hard to get back to that passion.

Again it's about Juggling things. But not just juggling, but juggling well. Really getting it all done. Putting as much of yourself into your work as you can. And all those other things you have to worry about when you're trying to achieve any goal, paying bills, worrying about your health, car troubles, etc. You have to try to keep up with all of that at the sametime.

This is all a part of the juggle. It's about trying to make that car payment, and keeping yourself healthy, while drawing up those production sheets. It's about making sure you've got all the birthdays covered, making sure you put in enough hours at the day job, make sure you reach your project deadlines, while thinking about what your lighting situation will be for a particular scene.

It is hard enough to have to do your own production design and props and costumes, but having to do all that while your trying to plan out what you're going to cook for the family that night, what groceries you'll need for that week, and whether or not you can get the laundry folded before you put in the next 3 loads. That's beyond juggling.

Of course much of this could be remedied by simply getting paid to make movies, but in order to get there you have to start with nothing. You have to work for free, in order to get to a place where you can work for yourself. The Midnight Special was the first step, the next Monster Cops project is another step, bringing us closer to working on a feature with a budget, or working on a web series with a budget, which ever comes first really.

But again you've got to do what you can to hold on to that fire. I'm convinced that's why so called "bad things" happen. It's the purpose of an obstacle. For something to get in your way, it should only fuel your fire. It's the unexpected bill, the unforseen car trouble, the shitty day job, and the people that tell you you can't do it. It appears to be the thing to bring you down, but it's fully designed to make you work harder for that dream.

So the next time something gets in your way, throws you off course, puts you down, or knocks you out, you use it as an excuse to get up and keep going. You embrace ambiguity. Welcome the fight. Instead of seeing an obstacle as just something in your way, see it for what it truely is. It is the thing that helps define you. It doesn't actually block your path, because when you go around it, it helps define your path. The rocks that were blocking your way are now the landscape that helps create the road way to your dreams.

In truth everything and everyone is actually conspiring to help you. So make your own path, fuel that fire, and keep juggling.

If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere.
- Frank A. Clark

Monster Cops Vlog 020908

Work For Yourself

Sometimes it feels like we all underestimate our own freedom. We get so use to the routine in our day to day lives that we condition ourselves to feel like this is all there is. That nothing could get as good as we've got it now. And that we have to settle for business as usual. I also believe that often, not always, but often, fate deals us a hand in life to get us all shook up so that we may reconsider where we our in context to what are dreams are or were, as compared to what we've settled for.

Think of the man who surrendered his dreams of being a painter for 30 years as a corporate exec, only to survive a near fatal plane crash. Because of his brush with death he rethinks his life and reignites the passion he once had for art. Other examples aren't so extreme but are just as powerful. The day in day out 9 to 5 job that you've settled for, the one that was supposed to be a stepping stone, a temporary exile to help you pay some bills while you pursue that dream of yours whatever it may be. The one that has now consumed you to the point that you're working beyond full time, and that dream has faded away. Then one day you get fired or layed off, and you realize that you need that job. Although it's made you so bitter and programed to the routine that all you do is dream of quitting, but yet you fear the idea of losing that job because you think you need it to pay the bills you don't want to pay but you think you have to because it's how you "survive" or "get by." But maybe losing the job was fate telling you to lose your inhibitions, that it's time for something new, or time for something you'd forgotten about.

And there is the extreme reaction. You get all gung ho. Decide you're tired of working for "the man" and you quit your job in the spirit of revolution, rebellion, and going for your dreams. But you end up sitting on your broke ass, not looking for a job, and failing at your dreams, because "shit" cost money. You know "shit". Instruments, amps, brushes, canvases, cameras, art school, cooking lessons, or whatever minutia you require to pursue whatever it was you needed to become that great cook, artist, rockstar, rapper, writer, filmmaker, etc. So you go back into the grind to try to get your "shit" together. Pay those over due bills, the back rent, or whatever money hungry slips of paper you were ignoring while you were "rebelling." And you get hammered down. You're back in the routine, and before you know it, cuz often times people never know it, you're settling for the day in day out again, and those dreams fall by the wayside. Heck, at this point a plane crash would do you great.

It's really become the norm. Everything above is typical of what goes on in the world. Granted there is a good percentage of people actually achieveing their goals and doing what they love, but there is a great percentage of people constantly in and out of the routine, always missing their opportunities. There are a percentage of people who do get the "plane crash" wake up call, get gung ho about going for the gold, then completely forgetting about the mission weeks later. I'm not writing this for them. Those people would never read this, and if they do they'll forget about it as soon as they breathe.

I think that in most cases a rebellion is in order. If you're stuck in your routine and you know it, and you want to get out of it to pursue your dreams, then the rebellious thing isn't to quit and say fuck you to the job. I think the thing is to keep working. Start saving, figure out what you need money for, cuz let's face it, everyone needs money for something especially your "shit". Work for it. Get caught up on the bills, get a nice savings for yourself going, and then start saving for your dreams. And once you've got enough to do your dreams, then take some days off and go for it until your dreams become what you do for a living. Sure it'll take months, maybe even a few years, but the alternative is for you to sit around and bitch about what you shoulda coulda woulda done for five years, or actually work for it and have something to show for it in the same amount of time or sooner.

The rebellion isn't in the defiance of the job or the routine, the rebellion lies in what everyone else isn't doing. I see alot of people that say they're going to chase after that goal and just quit their job to do it. Rebel against rebelling. The truely unorthodox method is discipline. The discipline to keep working while keeping your eyes on your prize. To have the discipline to set aside the money to do what you've always wanted to do. To "work for it". I know you work at that job that you hate, or it just gets on your nerves, but when it's all you've got and you're trying to get to somewhere or some dream, then it's a precious thing.

You have to have the discipline to work the job and keep it separate from your real life and your true dreams. It's not only giving you money, but it's part of the climb that makes reaching the top of your dreams all the more sweeter. If it's that bad then quit and find another one, but do what you can to make the routine your own. Your days off are your days off, your job is not your life. Stop thinking of it as working for someone else. If you've got a goal to work for then anything you do is actually you working for yourself.

You have the freedom to stop making yourself feel like all you do is "survive" or "get by." No matter what, do what you have to do to get your "shit" together. Don't wait for fate. Don't wait for the plane crash.

The Way Of The Squib

It's the one subject all no-budget indies have in common. Well, besides being broke. I'm talking about bullet hits, squibs, that nice little blood explosion from a persons body when someone gets shot in the movies. Since my first jump into this game it's always been a question asked by many and answered by so few. Well, that is until the last decade. Once again the internet pulls through, and more and more people are showing innovation as well as sharing it online.

The obvious method, and the method used by the big boys is the small explosive charge inserted into a blood filled condom, and then detonated by a remote control. The first time I really understood how this worked was when I was a wee child watching Fangoria's Scream Greats Video Magazine on Tom Savini. As a matter of fact I think it was one of only two video magazines they did. I actually found the opening to that video on YouTube. God this brings back memories.


I watched this so many times when I was a kid. Had every special effect memorized, went out and copied everything I saw Savini do from this video. As a matter of fact I still have my crappy VHS copy somewhere. But it was this video that really got me started on trying to figure out how to do my own bullet hits. And back then safety was a side thought. I did what so many of us did. Got a ziplock bag (cuz I couldn't get condoms at such a young age), made my own fake blood (out of cough medicine, pretty expensive blood actually), filled the bag, wired a battery to a firecracker, and shoved the firecracker in the bag.

I heard so many stories about people blowing themselves up, so I was pretty frightened as I stuck the wired bag to the fence in my backyard/testing area. I touched the other end of the wire to the battery. I thought for sure it was going to explode, but nothing happened. Turned out that the ziplock bag was too thick, the blood was too much, and the firecracker exploded with no effect because of it all. But I was convinced that this was the way to go.

Here's a clip, from back in the day, of Savini on Late Night with David Letterman.


I actually remember watching that when it first aired.

The explosive charge is all well and good if you've got everything prepared properly and had all your safety measures in hand, but when your a kid or an amateur moviemaker with no money, using any type of explosive is a risk not worth taking. I could have very easily blown an eye out handling a battery attached to a firecracker, any type of explosive is a risk.

Here's a video displaying one of the more riskier methods. I don't think I would risk doing it this way. Explosives, no matter how small the amount, are always a safety concern. I mean honestly, in this video, does this guy really want to put his life in the hands of a chopping board?


So doing the firecracker bit was a big turn off, on top of the fact that sometimes it just didn't work properly. There had to be a better way for no-budget indies. Once again, the internet comes through. In the late 90's the popular method became compressed gas, or compressed air. Genius. And one of the first places to put up a detailed tutorial on the matter is still up today, EXPOSURE.

The Complete EEFIT'S Guide To Filmmaking shows in detail how to accomplish a bullet hit with am pump-up sprayer and a garden hose. Check out EXPOSURE's Tutorial on Blood Hits here.

This method is the one widely used by many indies today. Here's Indy Mogul's Backyard FX spin on the same idea.


A few years back I did some test shots using the same method. Except I used an actual air compressor, which came in quite handy. I rigged up a small tube of blood to an old shirt that my wife was wearing, and then rolled camera as I preceeded to show my wife/zombie getting shot in the stomach. Why you'd shoot a Zombie getting shot in the stomach, I do not know. It came out quite well. Unfortunately she doesn't want anyone ever to see this footage do to her unfortunate hair style. LOL.

Nowadays I have my trusty pump garden sprayer (thank you Tabije.) The only real pain is having to pump the sprayer up, which is actually a nice little workout for your arms. Thankfully there are new and bloodier ways to create this effect sans air.

Here's RawrFilms/GageFX version of the pull string method first documented by Stu Maschwitz's The Guide.

Click To Play

I have yet to try this method, but certainly will on Monster Cops.

But that's not the only method out there. Found this video on YouTube, and I think it's the simplest and not too uneffective method out there. Embedding is disabled, sorry.

Ah yes Egg Shells. I think it's a great idea. I'll certainly be using all of the above, literally and can't wait to get started. Combined with some of my own ideas on creating bullet hits to the head, and some (not too much) CG work. I plan on making all of the Monster Cops bullet hits effective within the confines of the plot. After all, the effects are just one of the tools in storytelling, as it should be. The effects should never be the star of the movie, if it is then that's the first sign your watching a movie with no plot and all style. Which I think people have had enough of.

Still nothing like a good blood explosion. Remember though, safety first, plot first. Don't get killed for style's sake. Stay alive and tell a story.

Trying

You ever want something so bad that it hurts? And you ache so painfully over the fact that it's just beyond your reach? That's how it feels. That's how this feels. Knowing what I see in my head, and what I feel in my heart, knowing that I need to set it free. To bring that vision to fruition. To finally create the way you know you were born to. But you can't right now. Because all you have is you and nothing else.

It's been a rough week. It's just been bad all over. But at least I'm back to understanding where I stand creatively. The old adage still applies. No one can help you but you. Not saying I have no help at all. I've got plenty of support from many different people. This has definitely been proven with the recent Our Stage contest. But as far as moviemaking is concerned right now and where I'm at, until I have the full budget to do what I know I can do, I have to settle for going it alone and doing what I can with very little. Sort of fitting for one spartan.

Also it really doesn't help that both Juli and I have been thinking about her mom and about the events of last year around this time and in the coming months. We've gotta keep our minds off of it somehow. Try to think about the positive things. Try to remember the good memories. It's so easy to plunge into that darkness again.

I was going to write about it, but I can't. I have to stay up towards the light. For mine and Juli's sake. I need to make something truely great happen. I need to create something incredible, fun, inspiring, and joyous. A movie, a memory. Something amazing.

Please God help me make something great happen.


A very special thanks to the Our Stage team. I received my prize package from them the other day for making #1 in the Trailers category for July. I got a $100.00 American Express Gift Card, and an Our Stage T-Shirt, and a DVD copy of Four Eyed Monsters, which I've been wanting. So thank you so much to Our Stage. Got some other nifty little perks with it as well.

Hopefully this month we can make #1 again. Looks like our best shot is in the comedy category.



They've done away with Text Voting, as I think I may have mentioned before. This time around it's all about judging the best videos online. Hopefully that's us. But I must say, there are some very good entries on there.

Juli and I had a nice little dinner to celebrate the prizes I had won. She was so proud of me that it made her tear up. I told her it wasn't like I had won the grand prize, but she was proud of me anyways. Proud that I was able to make something and that it's been able to achieve something. It was a good night. And I'm just so happy that she could tear up over something good happening instead of something horrible.

So now it's like my movie making has two goals. One because I have these amazing stories inside my head and heart just dying to get out, and two because if I can make something amazing and something that can do well, it will help Juli see the light beyond the darkness. I like making her proud and I'm so very anxious to show her and the world what else I'm capable of. And I'm so very ready to do that.

Started work on the many other Video Projects and just found out about a few other opportunities I'd like to take a shot at. So much work to be done. At the same time still putting together all the details of the feature I'm going to do. Looks like I'll be working on that in the spring, alone and with no money, unless a miracle occurs. So pretty much the norm, lol.

Gotta get to work on more Expotv vids. Here's another one just recently added to my Expotv account. NIGHT OF THE COMET on DVD.



As you can see this freeze frame isn't as bad as the previous ones. Sadly I was hoping for a trend here. I could've sold myself as the awkward looking Filipino Indie Vidmaker.

Well let's hope we can do well in the Quarter Finals. Right now it's just about staying in the Top Ten til Wednesday. Then it's about going for #1. Damn. I'm getting too caught up in this competition. I've gotta focus on other things. Don't put all your creative eggs in one basket.

Ok, back to figuring out how to make something amazing with no money, cast, or crew, as per usual.

To The Bone

and that's how I'm playin it.

Been working, both at the day job as well as on the indie movie front. Right now deciding exactly what needs to be worked on next. Working on the feature script, the one I hope to shoot soon. But still seeing how I can workout doing a Monster Cops episode. Many factors are involved, not making any of this easy. But hey, these are the problems I like having. And for further annoyance I keep getting emails from distributors I have already told no to, several times. And their deals don't get any better either. The more they persist, the more I feel going full DIY is the right direction.

Still marketing Monster Cops: TMS. Still trying to get the word out about the DVD. But I get the feeling we'll have more of a response towards Ocotber. I am so very anxious to produce something else. That feeling of really wanting to show what I can do, is really getting to me. I just can't wait to have the budget to unleash my full potential, or even my half potential.

Today Monster Squad hits DVD and I will be getting my copy. And I just found out that The Dark Knight teaser will be on The Simpsons movie, so double excitement. Also the Walking With Dinosaurs Live Show is headed this way, even more excitement. Jeez, Monsters, Batman, Simpsons, and Dinoaurs. Jesus I am a nerd.

Don't Stop Believin

Today was one of those days where you remember something that you never really forgot in the first place. The movie never ends. ;)

When did noah build the ark ...

BEFORE the flood.

I've heard everyone say it. People I've worked with, people I've worked for, everyone has said in one way or another, "I'm tired of working for other people."

I think the main goal with most people I've heard say that, and definitely the main goal for me is to be in charge of yourself. To live your own life. Or as I've just read in this blog post by Tina Parcell I’m getting tired of placing my welfare in the hands of others.

I've felt that statement from a number of people for a very long time, especially from myself. I'm glad to post that I am (and have been) taking the steps towards not only making my dreams come true, and reaching my goals, but also putting my own welfare in my own hands. I'm excited to do so, and am confident that I'll be getting there very soon.

But like everything it all starts with change.